(Reuters) — Australia will oppose any military build-up in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday (March 16).
Julie Bishop told a forum in Manila that Australia was concerned about the growing tensions in the region and urged all claimant countries to resolve the issues peacefully.
“Australia opposes the scale of reclamation and reconstruction that has occurred, and we certainly do not support militarization by any party of the islands and the island features of the South China Sea because it would raise tensions, it would raise the prospect of conflict, so we want to see de-escalation of tensions in the region. We have a deep interest in the South China Sea — not a claimant state, but the majority of our trade with North Asia and beyond is through the South China Sea,” Bishop said.
China’s assertiveness over several islands in the resource-rich South China Sea amid reports of its building military installations on its reclaimed islands have sparked tensions in the region. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have competing claims.
Bishop also said Australia was working with several countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, in combating the growing Islamic State-linked threats in the region.
“We’re working very closely with, particularly Indonesia, deeply engaged with Indonesia to counter any terrorist attacks, to exchange information and intelligence, to work on de-radicalization programs, and our law enforcement agencies are deeply engaged. Likewise, we’re working with Malaysia, Philippines, and we want to ensure that there’s no element that we’re not co-operating, and my discussions with Philippines authorities will also talk about ways to assist, particularly in southern Philippines, where I know there are a diverse number of terrorist groups who claim to be ISIS-affiliated,” she said.
Abu Sayyaf, a militant group who has pledged loyalty to Islamic State, is known to operate in the southern Philippines and is responsible for kidnapping and beheading hostages for money.